Clothing Imagery In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Throughout William Shakespeare 's play, Hamlet, Shakespeare uses clothing imagery to convey the theme of "is versus seems" and reflects on the superficiality or authenticity of the characters. The vanity and pettiness of the courtiers, which are portrayed through the symbol of clothing, are the reasons Hamlet, the protagonist and Prince of Denmark, is enraged and indignant towards the members of the royal family and the court. The theme of “is versus seems” and the imagery of Hamlet’s black mourning clothes, portray Hamlet as an authentic and honest man. Contrary to Hamlet, Queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, is exposed as a apathetic charlatan through her wearing the same shoes to her wedding as she wore two months earlier to her husband, King …show more content…
When Laertes, Polonius’s son, leaves Denmark to explore Paris, Polonius gives him advice on how to dress. Polonius advises, “Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,/ But not expressed in fancy (rich, not gaudy),/ For the apparel oft proclaims the man” (I,iii,76-78). Polonius tells his son that regardless of his true social status, he is able to appear rich and influential through the clothing he wears. Using the theme of “is versus seems”, Polonius explains to Laertes that regardless of who he is, he can use his clothing to seem important. Polonius is superficial and vain and claims that clothing is the identity of a person. Additionally, Polonius, as the King’s advisor and member of the court, represents the entire court and the petty and shallow nature of the courtiers. The clothing Polonius references displays the theme of "is versus seems" and the superficiality of Polonius and the …show more content…
The shallowness portrayed through the imagery of the clothing accounts for Hamlet 's anger towards his family and the courtiers. Hamlet is a sincere man, as seen through the imagery of his black mourning clothing and the theme of "is versus seems". Gertrude, in contrast to Hamlet, is revealed to be a liar and phony through the imagery of clothing and the theme of "is versus seems”. Similarly, the imagery of clothing used in conjunction with Polonius portrays the theme of “is versus seems” and Polonius’s and the courtier’s vanity and shallowness. It is the superficial and petty nature of Gertrude and the courtiers that infuriates Hamlet. Hamlet values honesty and integrity, therefore, the insincerity of the courtiers anger him and lead to his act bitterly and violently towards his mother and the courtiers he encounters. Hamlet’s rage is evoked by the vanity of the courtiers and Gertrude, as seen through the theme of “is versus seems” and imagery of